The cost to taxpayers of protecting Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is going up and is expected to be nearly $8 million over the next year, a report says.
Politico has reported that the cost of the security detail for the Michigan millionaire is expected to be $7.74 million between now and the end of September 2019, when the new fiscal year ends.
That’s according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which provides around-the-clock security for DeVos, who was a former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman, school of choice advocate and conservative fundraiser and donor before heading to Washington in 2017 to serve the Trump administration.
Betsy DeVosA Marshals Service spokesman — who declined to say how many people are assigned to providing security for DeVos — said the final cost in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 was $6.79 million. That was about $250,000 more than expected.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the security detail for DeVos, even though it is unusual for an education secretary to receive such protection, after protesters began confronting her following her confirmation to the post.
In past administrations, the Education Department’s own small group of security personnel provided protection for the secretary. A department spokeswoman said DeVos personally pays for marshals to travel with her on her own private plane, and she also pays for all of her own private and public travel.
